Hyalomma

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Hyalomma
Hyalomma marginatum specimen in alcohol
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Chelicerata
Class: Arachnida
Order: Ixodida
Family: Ixodidae
Genus: Hyalomma
Koch, 1844
Species

28, see text

Hyalomma is a genus of hard-bodied ticks common in Asia, Europe, and North Africa. They are also found in Southern Africa. The name is derived from Greek: Hyalos (ὕαλος) crystal, glass; and omma (oμμα) eye.

The genus is believed to have originated in Iran or Central Asia, and then spread further into Asia, including the Middle East, and to southern Europe and Africa.[1]

Hyalomma are larger in size and do not have protective shields (indistinct festoons), but have eyes and banded legs. Hyalomma species are difficult to identify due to their hybridization and genetic and morphological variations, caused by harsh environmental conditions and lack of food sources. With few hosts available, they are required to be active as soon as a potential host is sensed.

Adult Hyalomma can bite humans and transmit serious pathogens. Immature (nymph) Hyalomma usually feed on birds, rodents, and hares and can be the cause of viral disease and rickettsias. Nymphs are often transmitted from one place to another by migrating birds. For example, a migrating bird carrying a Hyalomma marginatum nymph can cause Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever.[1] Hyalomma species can also transmit rickettsias like Siberian tick typhus, Boutonneuse fever, and Q-fever.[1]

Hyalomma form part of the Rhipicephalinae subfamily, in the broader Amblyocephalus clade of the Ixodidae.

Ixodidae
Ixodidae cladogram after Barker et al., (2024)[2]

Species

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As of 2025, there are 28 species described as Hyalomma:[3]

Notes

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  1. ^ H. albiparmatum is poorly differentiated from H. nitidum and H. truncatum, and may be a synonym of the latter.
  2. ^ Often regarded as a subspecies of H. anatolicum. Currently considered distinct as per Guglielmone et al. (2020)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Roberts, Larry S.; Janovy, John (2009). "Chapter 41: Parasitic Arachnids: Subclass Acari, Ticks and Mites". Gerald D. Schmidt & Larry S. Roberts' Foundations of Parasitology (8 ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. p. 645. ISBN 978-0-07-302827-9.
  2. ^ Barker, Stephen C.; Kelava, Samuel; Mans, Ben J.; Apanaskevich, Dmitry A.; Seeman, Owen D.; Gofton, Alexander; Shao, Renfu; Teo, Ernest J. M.; Evasco, Kimberley L.; Soennichsen, Kari F.; Barker, Dayana; Nakao, Ryo (2024-02-12). "The first cryptic genus of Ixodida, Cryptocroton n. gen. for Amblyomma papuanum Hirst, 1914: a tick of North Queensland, Australia, and Papua New Guinea". Zootaxa. 5410 (1): 91–111. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5410.1.5. ISSN 1175-5334.
  3. ^ Guglielmone, Alberto A.; Petney, Trevor N.; Robbins, Richard G. (2020-11-05). "Ixodidae (Acari: Ixodoidea): descriptions and redescriptions of all known species from 1758 to December 31, 2019". Zootaxa. 4871 (1): 1–322. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4871.1.1. ISSN 1175-5334.
  4. ^ Sonenshine, Daniel E. (2006). "Tick pheromones and their use in tick control". Annual Review of Entomology. 51 (1): 557–580. doi:10.1146/annurev.ento.51.110104.151150. PMID 16332223.
  5. ^ Gharbi, M.; Darghouth, M.A. (2014). "A review of Hyalomma scupense (Acari, Ixodidae) in the Maghreb region: from biology to control". Parasite. 21: 2. doi:10.1051/parasite/2014002. PMC 3917376. PMID 24507485.
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